Boxing Classics. Michael Spinks vs. Dwight Qawi.

When I became a serious boxing fan in 1979, my two favorite fighters were Sugar Ray Leonard and Larry Holmes. Late in 1980, Michael Spinks joined the list, making me look forward to all of his fights on ABC or CBS. His decision win over Eddie Mustafa Muhammad in July of 1981 earned him the WBA light heavyweight title and proved to me he was the best light heavyweight on the planet. Dwight Braxton (before he changed his name to Qawi) knocked out Matthew Saad Muhammad in December of 1981 to capture the WBC belt and put him on a collision course to meet Michael Spinks to unify the championship.

The bout was signed for March 18, 1983 at Atlantic City Convention Hall, but was to be shown on HBO. We didn’t even have cable tv at the time, but fortunately my older sister and her husband did, so I asked if I could go over to watch it and they agreed.

Michael Spink’s common law wife Sandra Massey was killed in a head on collision on January 7, 1983 near Philadelphia that left him heartbroken and crushed. With no choice, he turned to his boxing training to work out his grief and pain. The night of the fight, he was in tears as he held his baby daughter, then walked to the ring to win the bout for her.

I never liked Qawi, so I took great pleasure in watching Michael easily outbox the shorter Qawi, and keep him at bay with his great jab. Michael also hurt Dwight with right hands, and never let him in the bout. When the 15 rounds were up, the unanimous decision easily went to Michael Spinks, which made my drive home a happy one. It was great seeing Michael on the cover of Sports Illustrated the next week and getting to read about his big win. The victory left no doubt as to who the best light heavyweight in the world was and had me looking forward to Michael’s next title defense.